OBJECTIVES: The French cancer control strategy 2021-2030 aims to achieve 80% HPV vaccination coverage. Since 2021, HPV vaccination is recommended for boys aged 11 to 14 years, with a catch-up vaccination recommended for unvaccinated individuals aged ≤19 years. The PAPILLON study used claims data to monitor the evolution of HPV vaccination coverage rate (VCR) among 11–19-year-olds.

METHODS: The annual HPV VCR was described from 2017 to 2021. Partial vaccination was defined as the dispensing of at least one dose of HPV vaccination. Full scheme vaccination was defined according to the current French recommendations as two or three doses of HPV vaccine over an 18-month period. Annual HPV vaccine initiation rates were estimated on 11-14 and 15–19-year-olds. Cumulative VCR were estimated on adolescents aged between 11 and 19 years at the time of first vaccination.

RESULTS: Overall, 1,408,645 females and 280,553 males initiated HPV vaccination between 2017 and 2021. Initiations occurred between 11 and 14 years for 65.9% of females and 60.8% of males with a median time between the first two doses of 192 days and 180 days, respectively. In 2021, the cumulative VCR for the partial scheme at 15 y was 46.6% for females and 9.4% for males, while at 20 y it was 40.7% and 1.1%, respectively. In girls, the cumulative VCR for the full scheme vaccination at 16 y.o. increased from 14.1% in 2016 to 30.7% in 2021. In 2021, the initiation rates were 9.3% at age 14 and 1.4% at age 19.

CONCLUSIONS: HPV vaccination coverage increased between 2017 and 2021 in women but remains lower than the 80% target. The results of this study show a tentative but promising start to vaccination in boys. This study will monitor the effects of actions taken to improve vaccination, including the extension of vaccination competencies to community pharmacists since 2022.